Students Use Crochet Skills to "Warm Up" Empty Parking Meter Poles

Yarn Bombs

Moore students in Amy Orr’s Fiber Structures class installed crocheted parking meter pole “warmers” on about 14 empty parking meter poles outside the College and in front of the Franklin Institute on November 11.

The pole covers were in the form of animals, hats, leg warmers and more. The pole covers will remain up, weather permitting, through the end of the semester.

“I was thinking about these abandoned poles and how they were calling out for art and warmth,” Orr said. In cities nationwide, including Philadelphia, traditional coin-operated parking meters have been replaced by computerized kiosks where drivers pay electronically. While the meters are gone, some abandoned poles still remain.

Yarn blitzing is a type of graffiti or street art that employes colorful displays of knitted crocheted cloth, rather than paint or chalk. While yarn installations may last for years, they are considered non-permanent, and, unlike graffiti, can be easily removed if necessary.

Moore College of Art & Design educates students for careers in art and design. Founded in 1848, Moore is the nation's first and only women's art college. Moore's student-focused environment and professionally active faculty form a dynamic community in the heart of Philadelphia's cultural district. The College offers nine bachelor of fine arts degrees for women. New coeducational graduate programs were launched in summer, 2009. In addition, Moore provides many valuable opportunities in the arts through The Galleries at Moore, continuing education programs for professional adults, the 85-year-old acclaimed Young Artists Workshop for girls and boys grades 1-12, The Art Shop and the Sculpture Park. For more information about Moore, visit www.moore.edu.

November 11, 2010
Moore students in Amy Orr’s Fiber Structures class installed crocheted parking meter pole “warmers” on about 14 empty parking meter poles outside the College and in front of the Franklin Institute on November 11.